STOCKTON, Calif. – The USF women's basketball team was in control holding a game-high nine-point lead with 3:50 to play before Pacific used a 13-0 run to send the Dons to a 63-60 loss on Saturday afternoon at the Spanos Center.
 
Senior guard Rachel Howard led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including a three-pointer on her first attempt of the game in the first quarter that put her over the 1,000 career point threshold. Howard became the 22nd player in USF history to score at least 1,000 points, surpassing Kim Bachman (1978-83, 1,002 points) on the all-time list.     
 
Freshman Anna Pierce registered a career-high 10 points, all of which came in the first half, while junior Anna Seilund chipped in with 10 points of her own to go along with a game-high five assists.
 
USF (9-8, 3-3 WCC) held a 38-34 advantage on the glass behind Claudia Price's game-high nine boards.  
 
After a slow third quarter where both teams combined to score just 19 points, the Dons held a 45-41 lead heading into the final period. USF started to pull away midway through the fourth quarter when Price drained back-to-back jumpers and Seilund snuck through for a layup that gave the Dons a 46-55 advantage.
 
But Pacific (8-9, 4-2 WCC) started to shift the momentum behind GeAnna Luaulu-Summers, who at 90.2 percent from the line coming into the contest ranked 17th in the NCAA. Luaulu-Summers proceeded to go 8-for-8 from the line over the final four minutes to help the Tigers trim the deficit. Immediately following Luaulu-Summers' final free throws, Pacific's Desire Finnie stole the ensuing inbounds and converted the layup to give the Tigers a 61-59 lead with 1:53 on the clock that effectively served as the dagger.
 
Luaulu-Summers led Pacific with 21 points while going a perfect 16-for-16 from the line on the day.
 
USF went without a field goal for the remainder of the game following Howard's jumper at the 3:50 mark in the fourth quarter.
 
The Dons got out to a slow start to the game, falling into a six-minute first quarter field goal drought that featured five USF turnovers, but kept things close by hitting six free throws. Pierce knocked down a three from the corner to give the Dons a 19-18 lead as the first quarter clock expired.
 
Pierce and Michaela Rakova knocked down consecutive threes to help USF move back ahead 32-30 with two minutes remaining in the half. Pacific closed out the second quarter on an 0-for-7 skid as USF went into the intermission nursing a 35-32 lead. 
 
USF got out to a sloppy start to the third quarter, committing four turnovers over the first four minutes that allowed Pacific to mount a 7-0 run and re-take the lead. But USF rallied back, highlighted by Howard's three with 36 seconds left in the quarter to take a 45-41 advantage at the end of the period.
 
The Dons shot 38.9 percent from the field overall, compared with Pacific's 35.8 clip.
 
The Dons return to the road next Thursday when they travel to Portland for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Pilots from the Chiles Center. USF will return home the following Saturday to host San Diego at 2 p.m. Individual game tickets for all USF home games this season are available on line at USFDons.com or by calling (415) 422-2USF. General admission tickets are available for as low as $10. All USFCA faculty, staff and students with a valid ID, and youth 12 and under enter free. Parking for USF home games is typically available free of charge two hours prior to tip-off until one hour after the conclusion of the game in any campus lot, with the exception of designated green parking spots and the top of Hayes-Healy garage.